Emmet Sheehan gave the Dodgers exactly what they needed Sunday: a long, dominant bridge out of the bullpen, and the kind of relief outing that can swing a game without ever touching the spotlight. Los Angeles rode that performance, plus a clutch seventh-inning hit from Enrique Hernandez, to a 3-1 win over the San Francisco Giants and a three-game sweep at home.
The Dodgers also got a lift from Tommy Edman, whose seventh homer of the season broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth. That blast came against Giants reliever Carson Seymour, who had entered after Matt Wilkinson spun five shutout innings in his fifth career start.
San Francisco grabbed the early lead in the first when Victor Bericoto singled home Jonah Cox off Dodgers opener Jack Dreyer. But Sheehan took over to begin the second and shut the door from there, allowing just one hit across 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He punched out nine of the 16 outs he recorded, turning the middle innings into a blank stretch for the Giants.
Los Angeles answered Edman’s homer by pushing ahead in the seventh. Max Muncy and Josue De Paula opened the inning with one-out singles off Sam Hentges, and Enrique Hernandez followed by lining a double to center field that brought in the go-ahead run.
The Dodgers added another run in the eighth when Muncy delivered an RBI single to score Teoscar Hernandez, who had singled earlier in the inning.
Kris Bubic earned the win for Los Angeles as he, Brock Stewart and Tanner Scott combined for the final 2 2/3 innings. That trio allowed just two baserunners, one on an error and one on a walk. Scott had a brief scare in the ninth when he walked Brett Harris with two outs, putting the tying run on base, but he finished the job by striking out Osleivis Basabe for his 23rd save.
Muncy, Josue De Paula, Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman all finished with two hits for the Dodgers, who improved to 96-60 and won their fourth straight. The victory kept Los Angeles four games ahead of the Atlanta Braves, who are 92-64, in the chase for the National League’s No. 2 seed and a first-round bye.
The Dodgers now turn to a three-game home set against the second-place San Diego Padres before ending the regular season with three games in San Francisco beginning Friday.
In Other News...
Giants May Have Found Their Next Valuable Swiss Army Arm
Matt Wilkinson gave the Giants exactly the kind of outing that tends to catch an organizations attention in September and beyond, spinning five scoreless innings against the Dodgers and trimming his ERA to 3.65 on the season. For a club that has long valued pitchers who can wear different hats, the performance fit neatly into a larger conversation about where Wilkinson might fit on the staff.
The appeal is straightforward: the Giants believe he could fill a flexible role similar to what Yusmeiro Petit once provided, working as a long reliever or stepping into the rotation when needed. Wilkinsons pitch mix and velocity profile look familiar in that respect, and the value comes from the same place every contender looks for it - a pitcher who can give real length out of the bullpen without forcing the club to scramble if a start opens up. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Fans Know This Deadline Regret May Not Be Baseballs Worst Anymore
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The 2021 swap that sent Pete Crow-Armstrong from the Mets to the Cubs for Javier Bez and Trevor Williams is one of the moves drawing fresh scrutiny, especially with the Mets now facing the possibility that it may age worse than the Wheeler trade ever did. Add in the Athletics trade of Jess Luzardo to the Marlins for Starling Marte, and the deadline starts to look like a place where the price of urgency can linger for years, even if the full damage only becomes clear much later. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Get One More Look At A Lineup That Suddenly Matters
The late-season setting at Oracle Park gives the Giants another chance to see how their lineup responds with October races tightening elsewhere around them, even if the opponent is no longer playing for a postseason berth. Minnesota arrives for the final road series of its season with right-hander Zebby Matthews on the mound, while San Francisco counters with right-hander Blake Tidwell in a game set for 8:45 p.m. CT.
For the Twins, the trip is about getting through the final stretch after being eliminated from contention, but for the Giants it is another useful look at a lineup that has suddenly become more important to the bigger picture. The matchup will be available on TwinsTV and NBC Sports Bay Area, with both clubs using one more night at Oracle Park for different reasons, even if the larger stakes now belong to the home side. [Read more 🡒]